Anonymous

I booked at this Airbnb to stay May 4-16, 2020. I've been a regular AirBnb guest in and around the bay area for several months. Jacky&Song House was much worse than I expected but I wanted to make the best of a bad situation, especially at just around $28/night all fees included. Clearly the place had not been cleaned properly for years and had been poorly repaired for some time. My room looked fine but there was a lot of white powder on the floor. I'm familiar with it, it's Diatomaceous Earth, used for anything from fleas and roaches to ants. I assumed it was for roaches because of the plastic on the mattress, which is usually indicative of bed bug prevention. But on the second day, I noticed a big red blotch on my inner knee area. I knew it was a bug bite but wasn't sure what kind. I researched and the closest I found was Bed Bug with high sensitivity to their saliva. I hoped that was not the case and, with my limited knowledge, I put it out of my mind. On the 3rd day, yet another blotch appeared, this time inside the left knee. I realize now that my habit of sitting with one leg bent and the other foot on the floor caused my knees to become the victims of being pressed against the seam in the mattress cover -- presumably a great place for bedbugs to crawl in and out through. On the 4th morning, I had yet 2 more bites and I immediately realized I was a victim of bedbugs. I looked through the reviews for this room again (yes, I had done so previously), and now there was the review of the client just before me who stated that his shoes were covered in the Diatomaceous Earth and he asked the host to come and vacuum, to which the host replied it was poison for bedbugs and needs to stay. Had I seen any indication of bedbugs prior I would not have booked! I immediately messaged the host and sent pictures of my bites, and they refunded the remainder of my stay. I didn't ask for a full refund or any compensation for my trouble, although I probably should have. They agreed and immediately posted a refund to my Airbnb account, which tells me they knew of the problem. Now I see they are planning to simply re-rent the room and for a higher rate! People like this should be stopped. This is why bedbugs spread. Low income people who rely on low cost housing don't have the time or resources to wash/dry or replace their infested belongings. The more I think about it, the more angry I feel that these people knew and, of course, that was why they put the price so low -- so some smart economist would rent it for 2 weeks. I wish everyone could know about these sites where you can report bedbugs. thank you, MC

• Bedbugs Found
• Requested Refund